Green Playdates: Eco-Friendly Activities For Kids

Climate change is, unfortunately, going to be part of our kids’ lives. But it doesn’t need to be all ‘doom and gloom’; there are healthy and empowering ways to help kids engage with climate change, including fostering an appreciation for our natural world and giving them small ways that they can practice sustainability in their own lives.   

Here are some of our favorite eco-friendly activities to do with young kids:

Upcycle unwanted items into crafts.

Never underestimate kids’ creativity; they have an enviable ability to turn mundane objects, including trash, into weird and wonderful creations. Enabling kids to upcycle waste into art is a great way to start conversations about sustainability. Need some inspiration? Sydney Piercey’s Sustainable Play is full of unique ideas for building crafts from cardboard and Makedo kits take cardboard inventions to the next level.

Do some gardening.

Gardening is a great way to enable kids to engage with nature first-hand. And you don’t need a big yard to garden; there are some great indoor gardening kits for kids out there, like this one from KiwiCo. Not much of a green thumb? Another fun idea for bringing nature inside is to press flowers and leaves to make nature-inspired decorations and gifts.

Go on a nature walk.

Get outside; whether it is a stroll in the local park or a hike through a national park, being outdoors is a great way for kids to connect with the environment. There’s even research that indicates that being in nature makes us happier.

Do a nature scavenger hunt.

Creating a nature scavenger hunt for kids to seek out different objects from nature is a fun way to help foster an appreciation for our environment. Not sure where to start? We adore this card set from gofindit (pro tip: it can also be used to facilitate a game of “I spy”to distract young kids in restaurants). You can also introduce magnifying glasses and microscope to turn it into a fun way to study various plants and animals.

Invite kids to recycle and donate.

Get kids involved in responsibly disposing of items that your family no longer needs, whether it is helping to recycle everyday items or helping to find a new home for old toys and clothes. You can help them to sell the items, including at a garage sale or at resale shop, and allow them to take the profits.

What other fun ideas do you have for helping kids to connect with our environment?